Happy Birthday, Mt. Rainier National Park

ENUMCLAW, WA - What do you get an ancient volcano that, literally, has everything (trees, bears, pumice, waterfalls, marmots, etc.)?

The Mt. Rainier National Park turned 118 years old on Thursday and, even though it's not a great time to visit (lots of snow up there still), there are a number of ways you can celebrate. Mt. Rainier was the fifth national park in the U.S. and was created by Congress in 1899.

We asked the National Park Service to provide some ideas on how to celebrate the park's birthday. Here are some things you an do in honor of the park's birthday, according to national parks spokesperson Kathryn Steichen:

• Share a memory of a park visit on a social media site
• Post a photo of the park on a social media site
• Tell a family member, friend or co-worker a story about the park and/or an meaningful experience you had while visiting the park
• Take a walk or a hike at a local park and reminisce about a hiking experience at Mount Rainier
• Plan a visit to Mount Rainier National Park later in the year
• Explore volunteer stewardship opportunities at Mount Rainier on volunteer.gov

If you really want to visit the park this week, you can. The Longmire, Paradise, and Carbon River entrances are open, but the forecast calls for blizzard conditions above 3,000 feet.

By the way, Mt. Rainier itself is about 500,000 years old. Also, if it erupts, it will likely destroy cities across the Puget Sound region, from Renton to Puyallup. Happy birthday!

Image via Patch.com